Hidden Dreams
by Jintsu
Summary: This is a onehour oneshot in response to DartzIRL's challenge on EvSoc forum. How did Asuka end up being comatose, after she was recovered from the bathtub? She has left the hospital, and is in search for some answers.


Hidden Dreams

By Jintsu

Iron Helix Page 1 5/22/2007

Created on 5/22/2007 19:10:00 PM

Disclaimer:

All characters, names, and what ever else are property of Gainax, Movic, TV Tokyo, NAS, ADV Films, Wedge Link, OB Planning, Pastel, Studio Gallop, Frontline, Avex, TOKYOPOP, AIC, Artmic, Youmex, or whomever else I am forgetting to name. Just so they all know they are getting credit for the characters.

So the hoard of slavering lawyers can go lie down for a century or two. This was written for fun, not for profit. I'm only borrowing the characters for a little while. I promise I'll give them back!

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Asuka has been searching for Kaji for three days, checking his house, NERV, and all the old haunts that Misato had talked about. After the second day she has started to become frantic. Bypassing school for her search, she has also quit eating. Finally coming back to the Katsuragi apartment, she searches everywhere for any clues to his whereabouts.

Finding the answering machine in Misato's room, she plays the message. Listening to his words, she feels the world dropping away from her. Already in a fragile mind-set from her past defeats, her world view now is one of anguish, pain, and loneliness. Crumpling to the floor, hollow-eyed and crying, she realizes she has lost her last link to her former life.

Looking up at the answering machine, she sees the edge of a plastic card wedged under it. Reaching upward, she grasps the piece of plastic, and brings it to eye level. It is a NERV identification card and pass. One issued to a Ryoji Kaji.

Asuka's eyes go wide with shock. Holding the card carefully in both hands, she pulls it in tight to her breast. Remembering conversations she had overheard, the phrase "Terminal Dogma" pops into her mind. With her stubborn resolve back in place, she stands up and tucks the card into her bra. Without a second thought, she leaves Misato's room and the apartment. Her only thought is where she might find this "Terminal Dogma".

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After walking to Headquarters, she goes to Misato's office, knowing that by this time Misato has left for the day. Sneaking into the room and locking the door, she makes a beeline for the computer. Typing in "Terminal Dogma", she waits for her answers.

The screen hiccups several times, then turns red with a warning screen stating: NO ACCESS FROM THIS TERMINAL.

Asuka then restates her search parameters for a map of NERV. This time, the monitor gives her the information she wants. Tracing a path that will lead her to the bottommost levels of the classified area, she prints out a map of her route. Shutting down the computer, she walks over to the door and triggers the open circuit. Peeking out of the doorway, she looks left and right down the corridor. With no threats seen, Asuka runs down the corridor to the express elevator, which leads to the lower levels.

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As the elevator doors open, Asuka is met by the sight of a dark, forbidding hallway. Not knowing which way to go, she leaves the elevator behind her and starts walking forward. Her shoes leave an echoing clacking noise down the barely lit corridor. Except for this, all that can be heard is an eerie silence enveloping her. In the distance, a doorway can be seen, because of more illumination over the threshold of said door.

Stopping in front of the portal, she notices that there is no way to open the door. No door handle, keycard slot, or push plate mars the surfaces of the stainless steel door and wall. However, one spot seems to have had handprints on it, body oils and sweat, dirty one slight area a metre to the right of the door. Gambling with her luck, she firmly places her right hand on the spot in question.

She feels a slight rumbling through the wall, and then the door whispers open on its tracks. Looking into the room, she can see barely lit consoles and dark windows running around the periphery of the room. In the center of the room is a tube, with a large device overtop of it. Said device suspiciously looks like a human brain. Asuka regards the tube and walks toward it. As she gets closer, she can see that something is etched into the metal band that surrounds the middle of the tube. Walking closer, due to the weak illumination, she stops at a meter distance. She stops not because of any obstruction, but because she can finally make out what is written on the metal of the tube.

As she reads the word inscribed there, her lips move in time with her thoughts.

"REI"

She quickly backs up, away from the tube, and stumbles against one of the consoles. Reaching out her hand to steady herself, she inadvertently triggers the console to an active status. Lights come up, illuminating the area in a soft glow. Lighting is also supplied behind the windows in the walls. As Asuka looks up at the walls, she is greeted by the sight of multiple copies of the First Child. Face frozen in shock, she looks around the room, making a complete circuit around the area.

Asuka moves away from the console, revulsion and fear written large upon her features. Continually moving away from the revolting sight, she bumps into the far wall of the room. With her eyes locked on the sight of numerous clones of the first child, she swipes her right hand over the wall, feeling for the exit door. An almost silent hiss signals that she has found it.

Finally breaking her gaze from the gruesome sight before her, she bolts through the newly-opened doorway. As she enters the room, the lights automatically come up. This room is almost an exact duplicate of the last one. But there are two tubes standing in front of her in this room. She slides to a stop directly behind the control console for this room. Trembling in fear and apprehension, her right hand covering her mouth, she hesitantly makes her way around the console toward the tubes. Biting her thumb, she reaches her left hand to the first tube. Sliding her hand along the metal she stops when she feels the characters that are etched in the band around the tube. Taking a deep breath to steady her frazzled nerves, she then cranes her neck around to read the inscription.

"SHINJI"

Shaking her head back and forth in denial and disbelief, she whips around to face the control console. Finding the detent marked "Tank Lights", Asuka depresses the switch and turns to face the windows.

Her screams can be heard in Central Dogma.

A _very_ harried Doctor Akagi and a security level-upgraded Maya Ibuki transport the comatose Second Child to NERV Medical. As they leave the room, forms can be seen floating and swimming behind the windows of this room. As the door hisses shut, reflected light dances across the lettering of the second tube, which spells out the name:

"ASUKA"


End file.
